Theresa Cameron

It sure has been a wacky spring for weather across the country.

Several of our local arts agencies have been affected by the tornadoes and floods of the past week. They have been assessing the damage and helping out their communities in any way they can.

Buddy Palmer of the Cultural Alliance of Greater Birmingham (AL) reports that they are working to help find artists that may have been displaced but that a weekend arts festival would go on as planned.

Sandra Wolfe, the executive director of the Arts and Humanities Council of Tuscaloosa is happy that none of the arts facilities in the downtown were damaged and she and her staff are okay, but everyone is very shaken. 

These events over the past week got me thinking about how prepared we are for emergencies and then I received an e-mail about MayDay.

MayDay was organized by the National Institute for Preservation as a way to bring focus to emergency preparedness for archives, museums, libraries, and art and historic preservation organizations.

Each year, participants set aside May 1 to plan for the unthinkable - a disaster.

Suggested tasks include: updating a disaster plan, meeting with local emergency responders to discuss venue layouts, holding evacuation drills, etc.

Great idea right?

Although May 1 just passed, it might be time to start thinking about this type of planning and be ready next May (or even June 1 of this year) with a plan of your own.

Do you have an emergency plan in place? How often do you update it?